About this project

$17,264

pledged of $15,000 goal

159

backers

THANK YOU BACKERS!!!

We've reached our stretch goal and everyone who backed at the $75 level or above will get a free stainless steel growler. You'll also be invited to an exclusive party to vote on what logo will be put on your exclusive growler.

Thank you so much to everyone for backing our project and believing in Books & Brews. Cheers!

Rewards Preview

$45 Mug Reward includes 32-oz Plastic Bullet & More!

$90 T-Shirt Reward includes Mug, Growler, Bullet & more!

Books & Brews Story

Books & Brews is the Indianapolis area's first combination used bookstore and nanobrewery. We are a family-owned, family-first business and want to invest locally in everything we do from the ingredients in our beer to the food we serve. Our vision is not only to offer local products at reasonable prices, but also to provide community-based events and a comfortable environment to allow people to unplug from the digital age and plug back into each other. In short, we want Books & Brews to be the real life social network.

The Books:

The bookstore at Books & Brews will offer a selection primarily of used books and will operate on a buy, sell, trade system. A section of the store will also be dedicated to local authors who will be highlighted with regular book signings and readings. Books & Brews will carry a variety of categories of books, but will specialize in fiction including children’s, young adult, and adult literature. Where else can you exchange your used books for craft beer?

The Brews:

Books & Brews will brew on a three 55-gallon pot brewing system that will net approximately one barrel of beer per batch. Keeping with the literary theme of the business, all of Books & Brews' beers will be named after classic literary works, characters or authors, such as Alice’s Adventures in Witbier, The Canterbury Tales Pale Ale, Charlie and the Chocolate Stout, and Clifford the Big Red Ale.

Staying with the local theme, Books & Brews will also offer guest taps, wine, coffee, and tea from local vendors. Indiana bread, meat, and cheese will highlight a small but flavorful menu.

Juliet's IPA dry-hopped with Cascade

The Events:

Through the process of creating the business plan, we decided on the tagline "read, drink, converse" because we wanted the social element of the store to have equal billing to the books and the beer. We plan to spotlight local authors, poets, musicians, and artists and provide them an additional venue at which to share their talents. We want to bring people together with events like book clubs, parent meet-up groups, trivia nights, and food tastings. More than anything, we want Books & Brews to be your go-to place to escape from the grind, put up your feet, have a drink, take a deep breath, and enjoy the moment.

Out of Print Clothing Rewards

We've discovered this awesome company called Out of Print Clothing that sells some really cool retro book cover t-shirts, long sleeve tees, and other accessories.

All you have to do is shop their website, pick out any of their t-shirts and we'll get it to you! The shirts are $32 and the long sleeve tees are $42.

Note to higher reward level backers: due to the late nature of adding these rewards, we won't be able to include them in your reward level. Thank you for understanding.

If you'd like to add one of their shirts, just increase your donation level by $32 or $42 respectively and I'll work with you personally so you get the product you want. Thanks again!

Where the Money Goes

We need help with the build-out costs of our current space, but the last thing we want to do is come on Kickstarter and ask for something as lame as help with HVAC, plumbing, electrical upgrades. So we'll take care of those expenses, but we will need your help with the other things that will make Books & Brews a really cool place.

FIXTURES (40%) - The majority of the Kickstarter proceeds, about 40%, will go toward lumber and other building materials necessary to furnish our store. In keeping with our focus on handcrafted and local products, we are hand-building all of our fixtures ourselves, so you know your dollar is being stretched as far as possible.

REWARDS (25%) - The next largest portion of our campaign will go toward covering our rewards - glassware, t-shirts, labor, and other materials necessary to offer you the best product possible as our thanks for your donation. The remainder of these items that aren't used as rewards will serve as the starting inventory for our merchandise.

FERMENTERS (15%) - About 15% of our goal will go toward three new fermenters and the appropriate fittings. We are starting with plastic fermenters as opposed to stainless steel in order to get more for our money and enable us to make as much fresh beer for our customers as possible. This also gives us the financial flexibility to experiment with our brews.

INGREDIENTS (10%) - As we've mentioned several times, we want to be as local as possible with everything we do. The ingredients for our beer will be no exception. We will be purchasing our malt and hops from Indiana whenever possible and, if not, from the closest surrounding state. This 10% will help ensure we get off the ground with the freshest products we can find.

FEES (10%) - Kickstarter and Amazon will take the final 10% as their fee for running the campaign - well worth it if you ask me, and I encourage everyone reading this to search for projects in your neighborhood and give them your support. There are a ton of great ideas out there that just need a little help to get off the ground.

Support the Localism Movement

At Books & Brews, we're dedicated to bringing our customers a genuine handmade and/or local experience from the moment they walk in the door. We hand make our fixtures (bookcases, shelves, tables), we hand make our beer (a large variety of drinkable session beers), we purchase all our food from local vendors (cheeses, meats, bread), and we get our ceramic mugs from a local dealer as well. At Books & Brews, you know that your donation dollar will be stretched as far as it can go and invested back into the local community.

All our fixtures - bookcases, bar, tables, and chairs - are hand built by us as an example of our dedication to local, handcrafted products

A Place for Parents

Books & Brews will be a family-friendly and affordable place for parents to take their children to play, read, learn and have fun! We are a family-first company and believe in the power of community; our vision is to help save families money, bring people together, and develop long lasting relationships with our customers through memorable events. Won't you join us?

A Better Product for More Affordable Prices

At Books & Brews our model is simple - give the customer the best possible product for the most reasonable price possible. Our motto is simple - local products, reasonable prices - and we will challenge ourselves every day to stick to that vision.

A Place for Hobbyists

Whether you're an avid reader, writer, beer/wine connoisseur, or local music/art buff, you'll love what we have in store for you at Books & Brews. We will have weekly book clubs, tastings, and art on display, and will spotlight local singers/songwriters. With our friendly, knowledgable staff, Books & Brews will truly be a place to read, drink, and CONVERSE!

Risks and challenges

At Books & Brews, we know there will be significant challenges even after our Kickstarter is successfully funded. We are currently working with the city of Indianapolis to determine if our location of choice will need a variance of use in order to brew beer on premises. If it's determined that we'll need to seek a variance, there is a minimum 35-day waiting period which could be extended if we face any opposition from local residents or property owners. Second, we will need to seek permits from both the state and federal government in order to sell and brew (210 two-way license to guest beers and wine plus a 101-1 small brewer's permit to make and sell our own beer). With that said, there is always the possibility of delays in getting you your Kickstarter rewards, but we will continue to do everything in our power to be open early in 2014 and get you your rewards in a timely fashion. As a backer of our project we thank you for your support and understanding.

FAQ

We're still working on a lease, but we've zeroed our efforts on the northeast side of Indianapolis. We're currently negotiating for a space at the 96th street exit off I-69, but there is a possibility we might move down the road just a hair on Bash Street by the post office.

Support this project

Select this reward

Pledge $1 or more
About $1.00

$1 - HIGH-FIVE - The first time we see you after our Kickstarter project gets funded, we will give you a Tecmo-Bowl-style jumping high-five! Hurrah! Can be exchanged for a firm handshake and a sincere thank you.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10 or more
About $10

STICKER - Want to be a part of the project but don't have much to give? We are thankful for any donation, no matter how small. For $10 we will send you a Books & Brews sticker and a handwritten thank you note!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

32 OZ PLASTIC BULLET - Want to take some brews home with you but don't want to commit to a 64-ounce growler? The Bullet is a perfect choice. This Bullet is made of BPA free plastic and comes with a Books & Brews sticker on the front. Includes above rewards.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $32 or more
About $32

NEW - OUT OF PRINT T-SHIRT - Head over to Out of Print Clothing and pick out a t-shirt (www.outofprintclothing.com). Because we added this reward late, we won't be able to include it in any other reward level.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

THANK YOU x2 - Your name will be included on both our Kickstarter webpage as well as on our in-store Kickstarter Thank You Wall. Every time you come by the store you'll be able to look at your name and say, "I had a hand in helping this place get off the ground." Pretty cool, right? Includes sticker reward, too.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $42 or more
About $42

NEW - OUT OF PRINT LONG TEE - Head over to Out of Print Clothing (www.outofprintclothing.com) and pick out a long sleeve tee then head back to Kickstarter to back for us for this level - after we're funded just let us know which shirt you'd like. Because we added this reward late in the project, it is not included in any other reward level, thanks for understanding.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

NAME A BREW - Work with our crew to name a batch of beer and invite your friends to the tapping party! All our beer is inspired by literature, literary characters, and/or famous authors. Keep it clean, please; we do reserve the right to refuse anything vulgar or inappropriate. If people dig it, we'll keep making it! Includes all above rewards.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

SPONSOR A STOOL - With your donation we will buy the materials and build a bar stool with your name etched in the back. Now when you tell someone, "You're in my stool," you can add, "no, literally, my name is right there." Seriously, though, you won't be allowed to physically kick someone out of your stool if it's occupied, but it's still pretty cool, right? Includes above rewards.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

DESIGN A BREW! You and a couple of your friends can come to the brewery, help design a brew, name it, brew it, and put it on tap. You and your recipe will be part of Books & Brews' lore forever! If people dig it, we'll keep making it. Includes above rewards.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

HOME BAR & BAR STOOLS - Like the bar and bar stools we handmade for the store? We'll build you one for your home, too. The bar is 7' long and the package includes four bar stools. Special price! Doesn't include any other rewards. Local pickup only for bar and bar stools.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $3,000 or more
About $3,000

KEEZER - Like our keezer? We'll design and build a four-tap keezer with faucets, lines, CO2 tank, and kegs with your choice of ball lock or D-system sanke disconnects depending on whether you're a homebrewer or just want to purchase commercial kegs. Special price! Doesn't include any other rewards. Local pickup only on the keezer.